Mansion Dinner
by Crisco61
Summary: Raphael decides to look for a woman friend in a dating paper. Who he gets is Ivy. She's more than he could imagine but...will things actually work out?


(Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Story from my DA.  
>R&amp;R appreciated.)<p>

The mansion was quiet in the late morning. Raphael sat at the table with Amy, sipping his tea. He wore his lush red night robe and a pair of black silk bottoms with fuzzy slippers. Amy was already dressed and ready for the day. She watched her father's eyes as they scanned the paper in front of him. "Father?"  
>Amy's sweet voice broke Raphael's concentration and he looked up to his daughter, his teacup in his hand.<br>"Yes? What is it my darling girl?"  
>Amy blinked innocently.<br>"Aren't you going to get dressed?"  
>Raphael smiled softly with a chuckle, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip.<br>"No, no...not until this evening. We have company coming tonight. You know, for dinner. I arranged..."  
>He thrust the paper into Amy's face and put his teacup down.<br>"...for THIS woman..."  
>He pointed to a picture.<br>"...to come over for dinner. Mmyes, I find her to my liking. What do you think?"  
>A grin was on his face and Amy stared at the picture.<br>"Well, she's...interesting? I suppose..."  
>Raphael put the paper down on the table and crossed his legs.<br>"Well, I did find her in Ye Old Harmony, after all so...you can't expect much from these dating papers. But I thought she looked decent...and you know I get so lonely sometimes."  
>Amy nodded. He loved her to death, did anything for her but she was his daughter...not someone he could spend nights with or be romantic with. So, he did get lonely in some sense.<p>

There was a loud knock on the front door and Raphael sighed, pushing back from the table and stretching.  
>"I'll be right back, my dear."<br>He patted Amy's head and shuffled out to the foyer and opened the door. An old man stood outside with a crazed look in his eye. He held a cross and a wooden stake.  
>"Yaaaarggh! Go to Hell you bloodsucking beast! No vampire shall ever plague our town again! Vampire! VAMPIRE! VAMPIIIIRR-"<br>Raphael snatched the cross and took the stake, driving it right into the old man's chest. The old man stumbled back and fell over, his blood staining the steps in red.  
>"I'm not a vampire!"<br>Raphael closed the door and examined the cross.  
>"Hm, lovely piece. Yes, I believe I have the perfect place for it."<br>He walked away from the door without a second thought to the dead man on his steps outside.

Raphael stood in the foyer with Amy, his clothes clean and sharp. She reached up and straightened his collar with a smile before hugging onto him. Raphael smiled a faint smile to himself and returned his daughter's hug with one arm.  
>"I love you, my girl."<br>Amy pulled away and clasped her hands behind her back.  
>"I love you too, father."<br>The sweet moment ended when there was a soft knock on the door. Raphael cleared his throat and walked to the door, opening it for his dinner guest.

The woman was twice as alluring as the picture! Her short white hair and bright blue eyes stood out marvelously. Her makeup was dark and smoky, her lips a deep reddish purple. She wore a floor length black dress, strapless. It dipped all the way down to just past her bellybutton in the middle. Her chest was rather large and tightly contained in the form fitting dress. Her hips were wide and her waist was thin, her whole physique was toned up and perfect. She was a tall woman and her black heels only made her taller as she stepped into the foyer.

Raphael gulped and closed the door behind her. Amy was looking at her with astonishment. The woman gave Amy a polite smile and then turned to Raphael, holding her hand out.  
>"Good evening, Mr. Sorel. I'm Isabella Valentine...but everyone calls me Ivy. It's a pleasure."<br>Raphael's mouth hung open and he gaped at her, weakly lifting his hand to take her's. Her voice was deeper and sexier than he could have imagined. SHE was sexier than he would have thought from the picture!  
>"I-it's a p-pleasure...Ms. Valentine."<br>He kissed her hand and let it go. Ivy smiled a sultry smile and shifted her eyes to Amy.  
>"Hello, darling. Who might you be?"<br>Amy loved the British accent, far more than her own French one. She curtsied and smiled.  
>"I'm Amy Sorel. Raphael is my father."<br>Ivy rose and eyebrow and looked back and forth between the two.  
>"Why, you look nothing alike. You must look like the late Mrs. Sorel, I presume."<br>Amy shook her head and Raphael butted in.  
>"Uh no, no..."<br>He brushed his hair out of his face.  
>"I've never been married."<br>Ivy's eyes widened a bit. She opened her mouth to speak but Raphael beat her to it.  
>"Oh! Oh, mon dieu, non! I took Amy in. I kind of adopted her. I treat her as my own flesh and blood though."<br>Ivy gave a slow nod of understanding.  
>"Ohh, I see, I see. Well, that's wonderful."<p>

At the dinner table, Amy sat quietly and ate her roasted chicken, listening in on her father's conversation with Ivy.  
>"So, Ivy...what do you do?"<br>Ivy patted the napkin to her lips and set her fork down.  
>"I'm an alchemist."<br>Raphael had a fork full of rice almost to his mouth when he dropped it in his lap. "You mean you work for the cause of everlasting life and immortality along with the bringing back of the dead to the living and and and all those chemicals and heebeejeebee tools in a creepy laboratory underneath a sewer at night when the full moon is shining and wolve's howls echo through the dark tunnels and alleys of Europe?"  
>He spoke fast in one breath. He took in a deep breath and picked his fork up from his lap, brushing the rice off his lap. He speared a green bean and ate it. Ivy was speechless. She glanced at Amy who was looking at her father like he was nuts. Amy met Ivy's eyes and shrugged. Ivy just pressed her lips together and looked back to Raphael.<br>"Ahm...not exactly. But I do...work to figure out the theories of immortality and reviving, yes."  
>Raphael's eyes began to sparkle.<br>"C-could you bring a...doll to life?"  
>Ivy looked at him with mild apprehension.<br>"N-no...inanimate objects cannot...be made to live."  
>Raphael cursed under his breath and Amy giggled. Ivy turned her attention to Amy and rose an eyebrow. Amy motioned to a door off to the side that remained locked and closed. No one could enter the room except for Raphael.<br>"Father keeps a collection of life size dolls in there. When he get's lonely-"  
>Raphael threw a hunk of bread at Amy's head, catching her off guard. She blinked at her father and saw the punishment in his eyes if she said another word. Amy looked down at her plate and ate a forkful of rice.<p>

Ivy looked back and forth between the two and furrowed her brow in confusion. She placed a gentle hand on Amy's arm and smiled a motherly smile.  
>"Please continue, darling. I would love to hear what your father does in his spare time."<br>Raphael made the motion to speak but Ivy shot him a scathing glare that sent shiver down upon him and a cold sweat. Amy saw that her father could not do anything to stop her now.  
>"He goes in the room and...talks to them, I guess."<br>Raphael let out a sigh of relief that she didn't say anything else. "But sometimes I hear weird noises too. I think he-"  
>Ivy started to laugh a deep and bubbling laugh, her head back and her white teeth showing. A hand was placed to her chest and she spoke through her laughter.<br>"Oh! Oh! Darling, I know what you're getting at! I had no idea Mr. Sorel was so desperate for love that he'd stoop so low as to engage in THAT kind of activity with dolls! I'm surprised a highly attractive man such as him could not persuade a maid to lay with him!"  
>Amy looked at her father, small giggles erupting from her. Raphael's face was red and he didn't know what to say. His fists were clenched on the table and he kept his eyes on his food. Ivy's laughter began to subside and she placed a hand on Raphael's fist.<br>"Oh, Mr. Sorel...what a secret you kept. It's disgusting, really but..."  
>Raphael shifted his eyes to her face. Ivy smiled gently.<br>"...loneliness drives people to do weird things. I just want to know why you didn't charm a maid. With your good looks and charming personality I don't see why a woman would turn you down."  
>Raphael unclenched his fists and his face relaxed a little.<br>"I...didn't want to use a woman like that. So I never bothered my maids."  
>Ivy squeezed his hand.<br>"You're a thoughtful man. That's a good quality..."  
>Ivy leaned forward a bit and whispered.<br>"...I like it."  
>Raphael smirked.<br>"How much do you like it?"  
>His tone was playful and Ivy giggled seductively.<br>"Enough to let you see what's under my dress after dinner."  
>At this point, Amy was wide eyed and trembling. Raphael glanced over to her and his eyes widened a little. He stood up and walked over to her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her forehead.<br>"I'm sorry, Amy...forgive your father will you, my darling girl? I forgot you were listening."  
>Amy jerked away from him and pushed away from the table, stepping back from him.<br>"I knew this was a mistake. Bringing in some new pet. Just leave me alone."  
>Amy stormed off towards her room. She wasn't used to her father paying attention to anyone but her. If this new woman became a habit...his attention would lie with her and not Amy. Amy didn't like that...at all.<p>

Raphael was hurt. Watching his precious Amy reject him like that stung deep. He frowned and whispered quietly.  
>"Amy..."<br>Ivy stood up from the table and smoothed her dress out.  
>"Well, Mr. Sorel...I see I'm not the best thing for you and your daughter. She seems to accept someone if they're just a guest but when you show affection and attention...she becomes jealous. You must love her a great deal and shower her with all you have. To bring in someone new isn't a good thing for her. And when something isn't good for her, it isn't good for you either. I'll just take my leave. Thank you for having me. Goodnight."<br>Ivy clicked off into the foyer and Raphael reached out towards her, falling onto his knees.  
>"Nooooo!"<br>He said as the door banged closed. He fell onto his face and whined to himself until he heard heels coming towards him. He lifted his head to see one of his maids. He thought about what Ivy said and pushed himself off the floor, going to lean against the stair banister but missed and fell again. The maid gasped and held her hand out to Raphael. He smiled a sly smile and took her hand, pulling her down on him. She squeaked and looked her master in the eyes. Raphael examined her pretty face. Her big brown eyes and full lips. The maid blushed and she stuttered.  
>"M-my Lord...?"<br>Raphael stood up and pulled the maid along with him.  
>"What do you say you come with me to my room and..."<br>He put his lips to her ear and spoke in a sexy voice.  
>"...entertain me?"<br>His hands slid along her waist and the maid shivered.  
>"I...I..."<br>Raphael chuckled.  
>"You're so damn pretty...and I've been craving a little satisfaction. So why don't you just lend me your help with that?"<br>The maid sighed and leaned into Raphael.  
>"Lord Raphael, mon dieu...oui."<br>Raphael grinned and began to lead her up the stairs.  
>"Bon. Follow me, sil vous plait."<p>

Raphael's plan of using Ye Old Harmony didn't work out as he had thought it would but Ms. Valentine's mention of using his maids paid off in the end.


End file.
